For your Wednesday Night Viewing Pleasure...

I have to admit that both of these pics (borrowed from each show's Facebook page) have been cracking me up.  As a fan of both shows, it's a hard pick...but since it's been almost a year since a new Psych has been on the air, I'll be tuning in to USA at 10pm...and letting the DVR catch Duck Dynasty (sorry Si!). Dylan & I even prepared by watching Santabarbaratown last night.

It's gonna be a good Wednesday night! :)

{ Leo }

When Dylan was younger, he wanted nothing more than for us to have a dog.  He would ask...I would turn him down.  Finally, when he was about 7, my dad read an ad in the paper a lady had posted. She had three basset hounds that were free to good homes.  By the time we got to go look at them, she had one left...and when we left she had none. Rosie came home with us that day and was such a sweet, sweet dog. She ended up going blind...which meant that when we moved out of Mom & Dad's house, she couldn't go with us. Plus, we don't have a fenced yard...and she loved to be outside most of the day.

A few years ago, Mom & Dad noticed that Rosie was having trouble getting up & down the stairs going into the back door from the yard. Dad took her to the vet, only to find out that she was suffering from nerve damage in her hindquarters...and the vet could give her meds for the pain, but she would most likely go downhill very quickly and she would be in a great deal of pain. We made the heartbreaking decision to have Rosie put to sleep.

About a month later, someone messaged me on Facebook about another 2 basset hounds that were available for free...and so Mom & Dad have ended up with Cookie...another sweet, if not a little too people dependent, basset hound. She really is perfect for them...she's playful, loves the kiddos and has a sweet disposition.

After we moved out, Dylan begged me to get him a dog for our house. I told him "no" over and over again. This past summer, Dylan turned 16. I could've gotten him any number of things for his 16th birthday, but I wanted this to be a special gift...and so I decided this was the year Dylan would get a dog.

I began my search through Craigslist - Dylan had wanted a beagle for a long time. I found a few possibilities...but some were older dogs and some were rescues. I didn't want a dog for a few years that we would have to put to sleep or would pass on due to age...and, while I have the utmost respect for people who take in rescue dogs, I knew that I couldn't do that. I needed a dog that was not too old, I preferred one not too young, that would be playful and would play well with little ones.  On July 3rd (two days after Dylan's birthday), I saw an ad on Craigslist for a lemon beagle. I almost didn't click on it because there was no picture, but I was starting to get impatient to find a dog. The lady e-mailed me back very quickly and included a pic of a sweet brown & white dog. I arranged to meet her the next morning...and enter into our lives Leo.

Leo was just over a year old when we got him and he couldn't be a more perfect dog for us. He's playful...but can be low key. Even though he's not too old, he still has some of the puppy...but he likes his sleep too. He's a snuggly dog. He sleeps with Dylan almost every night...and when Dylan's not there, he sleeps with me. He loves Aly & Ayden and they love him back. He's such a sweet heart. And as you can see...he & Dylan are good friends!

So, we are now a  dog family...and I couldn't be happier with our friend. :)

Starting Over

"Starting over" seems a bit dramatic...but since it's been SEVERAL months since I've posted here, it's very much like a new beginning.  I've missed blogging...I've just not really had the time to put forth here.

Yesterday afternoon, when I was trying to kill some time, I decided I need to do some "clean up" on my reading list. 

You know what I found? 

I'm not the only one who stopped blogging.

I haven't finished cleaning up my reading list (mostly because blogger makes it kind of painful...so if there's an easier way to quickly reduce my reading list, please share!) but I plan to simplify.  I may link up to a few meme's here and there, but for the most part...this is going to be for me.

So, here goes.  We'll see how things go...if I find the time to put a little bit of myself here.  We shall see.

My Halloween Pumpkin Project

Originally I saw this cute pumpkin on Pinterest and pinned it to my Halloween board.  Later, I was on the Better Homes & Gardens website and saw it again (http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-decorating/pumpkin-decorating-ideas/).

However, this appears to be on a real pumpkin...and I really feel like if I'm going to put that much effort towards something, I need to invest a little into a craft pumpkin.

I didn't want to invest TOO much, though.  The craft pumpkins at Hobby Lobby were upwards of $35. Even at 40% off, that's a little much for me.

Luckily, I had seen a craft pumpkin at Target that was $12...so, yes, I went with the cheaper pumpkin! :)

My next set back was finding black buttons.  Where do you buy large quantities of single color, yet various sizes/styles of buttons?  I came up with nothing.

And then, I went to Mom...who I think has everything craftily necessary...and who also told me I could SPRAY PAINT the buttons black! Truly, she has several old tins full of buttons, all shapes, all sizes, all colors! SCORE!

This is how I crafted my Halloween pumpkin:

1.  Spray paint buttons black - I just used the $.96 spray paint from Wal-Mart.  I got the glossy paint, because I wanted my buttons to have a little shine.  Also...just to let you know...buttons are light...and tend to move around when you spray them.  I have no tips on keeping them still...but I thought you should know.

2.  Print out your letters and cut them out - I think my font size was 350 and I just used Times New Roman. I wanted the serifs on the "B"...so this worked for me. Also...a tip...print these on card stock if possible. I printed one "O" on cardstock accidently (because that's what Mom had left in her printer) but used regular paper for the "B"...the "O" was much easier to trace around...which brings me to:

3.  Position your letters on the pumpkin, using a small piece of scotch tape to keep them in place and trace around using a pencil.

4.  Using your buttons, fill in the letters using hot glue.**

5.  Paint the stem black and tie a pretty black ribbon around the stem.

And you are done! :)

My total cost in this project:

Pumpkin - $12
Buttons - Free
Spray Paint - $1
Black paint for stem - already had on hand
Ribbon - $2
Hot glue - already had on hand

That's a grand total of $15.

I couldn't be happier with the outcome! :)

Happy Halloween!


**OK - I wrote these instructions BEFORE I was actually finished...and I would NOT use hot glue again. You can, but it leaves strings of glue and, what's even worse, the hot glue oozes out of the button holes when you are pressing them on to the pumpkin.  SO...you can use hot glue...but I think a good strong craft glue would work better. :)

Catching Up...again

It's been more than three months since I updated my blog...and not because I didn't want to.  Trust me - there have been several days that I thought "I really need to update my blog".  But there has been no time.  My job is crazy busy these days...my computer is still in a million pieces...and even if it weren't, by the time I get home I just want to do nothing.  Things have smoothed out this week...but I'm just waiting for the next wave to hit. About the time I think that all is calm & smooth, that's when I get lulled into feeling as if things are finally caught up and even and I won't be stressed anymore...

and then BAM...here we go again.

So, what have I been up to since my last blog post (which was a scheduled post for July 4th)?

Other than running around like a chicken with my head cut off...I:

 - Went to Florida on a mission trip with our student ministry the last week of July. We had an AWESOME time working with the Orlando Rescue Mission and getting to know the kids that live there. This is our second time there and, as I was last year, I was truly humbled and thankful for the life that God has blessed me with. The children that are living there have come from homes and situations that I can not even imagine and in this place they have found happiness and safety for a moment. It is truly a blessing to be a small part of their lives for this week.

 - Went to the beach with my family in August. When I got back from Florida (without Dylan - left him behind with his Dad & other Orlando family), my mom told me she & my Dad had decided to go to Emerald Isle for vacation. I told her that I would be tagging along (joking) and her reply was that she hoped Dylan & I would. I don't need much more of an invitation than that! So, we went down halfway through their vacation...my sister, brother-in-law, niece & nephew also came down...and we had three great days of beach vacation with the family!

 - Went to Fort Caswell with Ashley & Zac in September. Zac's birthday is September 10th and we all grew up going to Fort Caswell for summer camp. Caswell is such a special place - full of great memories. Zac started going down for his birthday a few years ago...a couple of years ago, they invited Dylan & I to go along...and then again this year. Another great beach trip.

And I think that catches me up with where I am now. No big trips or plans from here forward...which is probably a good thing because I'm not sure how much more my checking account can take!

I would love to tell you that I'm going to start blogging daily, weekly or even monthly...but at this point in my life I just don't know.  For those of you who catch my quarterly posts, thank you.  Thanks for hanging in there and making sure I'm still alive!

Hope to see you soon...Jenn

Happy 4th of July!

I'm so thankful for all of the freedoms that we as Americans have.  I'm thankful today for the men & women who put their lives on the line for this freedom.  I'm equally thankful for the family members that sacrifice time with their loved ones as they maintain and fight for our freedom. 

Hope you have a fun & safe 4th!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 6

What is your dream job & why?

Well...I would really, really, really love to be a stay at home mom.  This hits me HARD around Christmas and during the summer.  Especially when we start in with VBS and my child wanting to go here and there and everywhere.  I like my current job...really I do...but sometimes I have so much non job related stuff going on, trying to cram all that in with a 40hr per week job is tough.

But such is life.

I also think it would be fun to be a preschool teacher.  I enjoy working with kids.  So, if I couldn't be a SAHM and I had to have some little job, then preschool teacher it would be.

Happy Tuesday! :)